Something Fishy.
I could eat salmon all the time. I know some people dislike it; they find it too fishy or too oily. Personally, I love its silky texture and sweetness, and its adaptability to many flavors.
Today’s recipe relies heavily on Asian ingredients — soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ginger, sambal oelek, and sesame oil.
The salmon by itself is wonderful, but combined with the steamed and lightly-sauced bok choy, it’s fantastic. I definitely recommend making and serving them together.
Another thing that is nice about this recipe? It’s really healthy. It is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which are good for us. Sure, there’s some salt in the soy sauce… but isn’t salt one of the five major food groups?
~ David
Glazed Ginger Salmon with Baby Bok Choy
To print this recipe, please click the small printer icon below.
Ingredients
- 4 1/2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- a 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely grated
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sambal oelek, or other chile sauce
- 2 6-ounce salmon fillets, preferably square-ish, even in size, skin removed
- freshly ground white pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- large pinch salt
- 5 baby bok choy halved lengthwise
- 2 teaspoons neutral oil
- sesame seeds, for garnish
- 1 scallion, green part only, thinly sliced, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- For the salmon glaze: In a small saucepan, mix together 4 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce, the rice vinegar, grated ginger, brown sugar, and sambal oelek. Bring to a boil and cook for about two minutes, until thick. Strain into another small saucepan; set salmon glaze aside reserving 1 tablespoon for the bok choy.
- For the bok choy: In a large shallow bowl, mixed together the sesame oil, remaining teaspoon soy sauce, a pinch of salt, and a generous amount of ground white pepper. Add the halved bok choy to the mixture and, using your hands, toss to coat. Bring 1 inch of water to a boil and add the steamer insert.
- Season the salmon with ground white pepper. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. When very hot, add 2 teaspoons neutral oil and place the salmon, skinned-side down, into the skillet. Sauté for 2 minutes, or until golden brown.
- While the salmon is searing, add the bok choy to the steamer insert, and steam for 5 to 6 minutes, covered.
- Turn the salmon pieces and brush the glaze over the seared top. Place the skillet in the oven for 3 to 4 minutes, depending on the thickness of the salmon.
- When the bok choy is finished cooking, add the reserved tablespoon of the salmon glaze and toss to coat. Divide between two single-serving bowls. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
- Remove salmon from the oven and transfer to two plates; glaze generously with remaining glaze. Sprinkle the salmon with sliced scallions and serve.
- Serves 2.
- Notes:
- – Recipe can be doubled.
- – If, after straining, the glaze is too thin, boil it for another minute until thick and syrupy.
© 2024 Copyright Cocoa & Lavender
Pauline McNee
August 26, 2023 at 4:45 amWe could eat salmon all the time too David, but it has become very expensive here for some strange reason. I try to cook it once a week though, and we love it just with soy sauce, so your glaze really sounds wonderful to me. I love Asian flavours with salmon the perfect pairing. Your meal is beautifully presented with bok choy. I’ll be trying your glaze with next week’s salmon. Thankyou.
Cocoa & Lavender
August 27, 2023 at 7:48 amI am sorry to hear that, Pauline — most other fish for us is ridiculously expensive so salmon is our go to. (And it is our favorite, too.) I think the recipe is definitely up your alley and I hope you enjoy it!
Mimi Rippee
August 26, 2023 at 6:26 amOh, I love salmon as well. And it really lends itself to Asian flavors. Love this recipe.
Cocoa & Lavender
August 27, 2023 at 7:47 amThanks, Mimi. I have been working on it for months! I can’t tell you how many versions either didn’t taste right or looked awful in photos. This version (tested thrice) is wonderful. Enjoy!
Fran @G'day Souffle'
August 26, 2023 at 7:03 amThat ginger glaze has got me buzzing! My preference would be to leave the skin on to get some more flavor packed into the dish!
Cocoa & Lavender
August 27, 2023 at 7:46 amI am definitely not a fan of fish skins. To me, they take the subtlety away from the delicate fish. But that is the fun of cooking — making thing the way you like them best!
Ronit
August 26, 2023 at 8:44 amTasty looking dish! Salmon with Asian flavors is one of my favorite combinations. Adding baby bok choy to it, just makes this combination even better. 🙂
Cocoa & Lavender
August 27, 2023 at 7:44 amRonit — once we made the salmon without the bok choy and we really missed it. It’s a good combo!
Mad Dog
August 26, 2023 at 8:46 amThat looks delicious – I was thinking of hot smoking some salmon and I think the glaze would work with the smokey flavour.
Cocoa & Lavender
August 27, 2023 at 7:43 amI bet that would be fantastic, Mad Dog!
Carolyne
August 26, 2023 at 10:04 amThat looks fabulous!
Cocoa & Lavender
August 27, 2023 at 7:43 amThanks, my friend. It was perfect for our birthdays!
Gerlinde de Broekert
August 26, 2023 at 10:28 amMy kind of foods , as soon as I am back home I am making this . I especially like your salmon glaze,.
Cocoa & Lavender
August 27, 2023 at 7:43 amThe glaze is pretty wonderful, Gerlinde, and I love the wait it really adds to the fish and doesn’t overwhelm it. Happy travels!
Velva
August 26, 2023 at 2:23 pmDavid,
I am not a fan of salmon for the reasons you mentioned above (laugh) but, I can truly appreciate the blank canvas for the cook. Of course, it’s healthy and most of us should be eating more salmon!
This is a really nice presentation and the baby bok choy is a great addition.
Best,
Velva
Cocoa & Lavender
August 27, 2023 at 7:42 amIt’s is definitely not universally loved, Velva! But, I think I should try it with cod or another fish, too. The preparation is really special. And the baby bok choy on its own is fantastic!
Eha
August 26, 2023 at 3:52 pmA beauttiful classic recipe methinks universally a favourite meal! And . . . I doubt there is ever a day I lack baby bok choi in my crisper! Childishly said > double yummy! At the same time I think many of us tend to forget all the other fishy possibilities . . . perchance easy to say when one lives as close tto a hugely ‘fishy’ coast as I do :)! Oh – love your soy and sesame . . . !
Cocoa & Lavender
August 27, 2023 at 7:41 amTrue. I like a lot of other fish but, in the desert, many are unaffordable if they are available. I would like to try this with cod, though.
Sherry
August 27, 2023 at 3:17 amWell you know i love fish and i love salmon and asian flavours. This sounds the bomb David! And good for you too.
Cocoa & Lavender
August 27, 2023 at 7:40 amThe combination really works, Sherry – now I want to try it with other fish!
Jeff the Chef
August 27, 2023 at 6:11 amI’m not going to say that I love salmon, but I do like it, and I do wish I cooked more of it at home. But I do love sambal oelek! So thanks for this recipe!
Cocoa & Lavender
August 27, 2023 at 7:39 amI’m so glad I stocked up on Sambal Oelek before the shortage. It’s one of my favorite condiments, too, Jeff!
Frank | Memorie di Angelina
August 27, 2023 at 7:59 amWhat a lovely light meal. And from the sound of that glaze, you’re not skimping on flavor. As I’m trying to eat more (healthy) protein I may well give this a try!
Cocoa & Lavender
August 27, 2023 at 8:03 amFrank — we are in the same boat! Wanting to eat healthier, reduce carbs, and still feel satisfied and with no loss of flavor. This dish is the product of that thinking.
angiesrecipes
August 27, 2023 at 8:11 pmThis is one of my favourite meals! Bok choy is another veggie that I can enjoy without critical tummy issue.
Cocoa & Lavender
August 28, 2023 at 7:00 amI’m so glad to read this, Angie. Thanks for your kind comment!
Christina Conte
August 27, 2023 at 8:44 pmI have a similar recipe on my site from a good friend’s cookbook! And I have to say, I LOVE salt! A friend of mine doesn’t believe in cooking or using salt and it makes me very sad! Your dish and the photos look absolutely beautiful, David!
Cocoa & Lavender
August 28, 2023 at 7:01 amI used to hate salt as a teen. Now? I cannot imagine a meal without it! Thanks, Christina!
2pots2cook
August 30, 2023 at 2:06 amAmazing! Printing to make!
Cocoa & Lavender
August 30, 2023 at 9:09 amIt has become a weekly favorite of ours!
Raymund
August 30, 2023 at 7:48 pmYour love for salmon shines through in this article! I totally agree with you – the silky texture and adaptability of salmon make it a winner. Your Asian-inspired recipe sounds mouthwatering; the combination of all those flavors I know is amazing.
Cocoa & Lavender
August 31, 2023 at 8:39 amThanks, Raymund. This recipe was six times in the trial stages and the final version is really nice. Oddly, just a few snips of scallion really makes the dish.
Ron
August 31, 2023 at 6:42 amA lovely recipe David. We love salmon and have it in various forms weekly, so this will suit us fine. We usually undercook it in most recipes as we like it still pink on the inside. All I need is to pick up some baby bok choy this weekend and it’ll be on the table…
Cocoa & Lavender
August 31, 2023 at 8:41 amI like undercooked salmon as well so, depending on the thickness of yours, watch your oven time. 2-3 minutes will probably be plenty!
Fran@Gday Souffle
September 1, 2023 at 7:52 amDavid, I actually made this dish and it was really good! I was getting tired of my usual method of just spreading some marmalade on top of salmon. I added a small splash of water in the glaze to reduce the saltiness, but this may not have been necessary.
Cocoa & Lavender
September 1, 2023 at 8:27 amThanks, Fran. I played with this recipe a lot. And at first, using dark soy, the glaze was definitely salty. But changing it to regular soy sauce (light soy was not enough) and brushing it on, I found it gives just the right amount of salt to be pleasant with the fish and works well on the bok choy. I really appreciate that you made it! I’m trying it with cod this week!
Ben | Havocinthekitchen
September 12, 2023 at 2:37 pmWhen fishy is a good thing 🙂 Great recipe – nicely glazed and cooled salmon and with Bok Choy being the great addition!
Cocoa & Lavender
September 13, 2023 at 7:33 amThey work together so well, Ben! Thanks!
Valentina
September 12, 2023 at 3:35 pmI have to start by saying that that is a beautiful photo of bok choy – the detail in the leaves and the contrast from the bright white stems to the dark green is beautiful. I’m with you 100% on salmon. I love it, could eat it all the time, and it’s delicious with the Asian flavors. 🙂 ~Valentina
Cocoa & Lavender
September 13, 2023 at 7:32 amThank you, thank you! I have to say I absolutely loved that bok choy photo! Sometimes photos just work — I’m sure you have found the same thing. And the fish — I hope you try it!